Two weeks had passed since the Bakugan Battle Tournament and in that time, things had certainly gotten crazy.
A week after the tournament had ended, Dark Industries had released the newest upgrade. The portable battlefield that any brawler could use to battle any time, anywhere. Every brawler was excited to get it, though many were curious about how it worked given it seemed to have the strange power to stop time during the battle.
It was in one of these battlefields that we find two young brawlers battling it out. One was a grey skinned teen, with hair that was black and grey wearing a black hoodie over a white shirt with blue pants. The other was a white skinned boy with brown hair that had a brown birthmark over his left eye, wearing a blue jumper with green shorts.
Between them were two Bakugan, one being an Aquos Scaboid whilst the other was a Darkus Bakugan that was humanoid with a dragonic head and strange wings.
"It's over," the grey skinned boy announced as he took out a card. "End this, Ziperator!" He held the card up and it glowed, unleashing a dark light that flew up to the Darkus Bakugan and made it glow. Seconds later, the beast dived down and slammed into Scaboid. The mechanical spider turtle roared in pain as it was knocked backwards, reverting back to ball form as the boy it belonged to was thrown backwards as well.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" He screamed as his life gauge hit zero.
The light of the battlefield vanished and the two were in the city park, the grey skinned boy laughing at the sight of white skinned one. "That makes four loses in a row for you Pipsqueak."
The boy moaned as he pushed himself up off the floor. "You don't have to rub it in, Rumble."
"Whatever," the boy named Rumble smirked. "Well, same time tomorrow."
"Do we have to?" Pipsqueak asked, "you've already beaten me four times."
"And tomorrow I'm gonna make if five," Rumble pointed at him. "Be there or I'll tell everyone at school you're a massive chicken." With that, he ran off laughing whilst Pipsqueak picked his Bakugan up.
"I hate losing," Pip moaned as he held his Bakugan tightly.
Over at Flash's house, the teen entered his room and let out a sigh as he put his bag down. He also took his Bakugan partner out and placed him on the desk before falling onto the bed. "This day has been rough!"
"Tell me about it," Leonidas nodded as he unfurled. "Six different opponents, all challenging us. I love to battle but boy am I feeling beat."
"It's all for a good cause though," Flash explained. "The more you guys battle, the stronger you'll become. Hopefully, Garuda and the other Bakugan'll all evolve soon enough. Then Phantom won't stand a chance against us." Leonidas nodded, only for the pair to then hear a knocking on the door.
Before Flash could get up, it opened and Scootaloo looked inside. "Flash," she looked around, "who are you talking too? I could have sworn I heard another voice in here."
Flash and Leonidas both let out an unintelligible sound, Leo's voice drawing Scootaloo's attention. She stepped over to the Bakugan and picked him up, looking him over. "Do you mind?" He asked when she poked his face, making her cry out and drop him. "Hey!" He cried as he hit the desk, being stuck on his back until he curled up and rolled back to his upright position. "Show a little more care, would yah!"
Scootaloo turned to Flash, looking horrified as her brother laughed. "I guess I've got some explaining to do." This was gonna be a long night for sure.
The next day
Derpy was happily walking through town on her way to the Battle Stadium. She wasn't working, but the rest of her friends were all going to be hanging out there. "Ahh," she sighed, "what a lovely morning." She crossed a bridge that was located on a river that ran through the city, the girl looking down at the water and seeing several boats in the middle sailing down it.
Then, when she reached the end of the bridge, she spotted something that gave her pause. A young boy standing on the river bank. He was looking at something in his hand, Derpy needing to focus but realising it was an Aquos Bakugan.
"Oh," she smiled, "must be a Brawler." She smiled, happy so many young children were enjoying the game. But then she saw something that made her gasp, as the teen pulled his arm back as if he was going to throw the Bakugan into the water. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed, running down the hill towards the bank. "STOP!"
The boy heard her and jumped, looking around to see her. He looked confused and as she got close, she tripped over a rock.
"Ahhh!" She cried as she fell onto her face and rolled down the rest of the hill, eventually sailing passed the boy and crashing into the water. "Ow," she moaned as she sat up and was now completely soaked.
"Are you okay?" The boy asked, the girl letting out another moan as she stood up.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "I'm used to it." She got out of the water and took off her bag, which contained a set of new cloths in a waterproof bag. When you tended to be as clumsy as Derpy, you learned to take several precautions. She and the boy went over to the bridge, the shadow of it shielding her as she dried off and got changed whilst the boy kept a lookout.
As she changed, Derpy asked what he had been doing. The boy, who was named Pipsqueak, frowned and explained the situation about his 'friend' Rumble.
"You lost a Bakugan Brawl?" She asked, "I don't see what the problem is."
"I hate losing," Pipsqueak frowned. "I love having my Bakugan and battling was fun at first, but then I kept losing. It wasn't so bad before because I could just avoid the Stadium and play with my Bakugan at home. But ever since they released that new update, Rumble's been making me Brawl every single day."
"You could always say no," Derpy told him.
"If I did that, he'd just make fun of me at school and call me a scaredy cat." Derpy frowned, hating to see someone who clearly loved Bakugan be turned against it because of a bully like this Rumble kid. "I don't have a choice. I hate losing and the only way to stop Rumble from coming after me is to get rid of my Bakugan."
"That's not true," Derpy told him as she stepped out from under the bridge in her dry cloths. "There's another option. You can beat him in a brawl." Pip looked at her in shock. "It's clear the only reason he comes after you is because he thinks you can't win. If you beat him, he'll stop coming after you."
"But I can't win," Pip told her. "I'm terrible at brawling. I'll never win a game."
"Not with that attitude," Derpy told him. "If you think you're going to lose, then you'll have already lost before you throw down your first card. In order to win, you need the believe you can win." Pip frowned, clearly believing that him winning was impossible. "I'll tell you what. Why don't I help you come up with a strategy to beat him?" Pipsqueak raised an eyebrow at this.
"You Brawl?"
"No," she told him, "but I've seen enough Brawls to know how to win. Now," she smiled, "tell me everything you know about how this boy battles."
Over at the stadium, Flash and Scootaloo had arrived. The young girl looked around the stadium in amazement, seeing the many different brawlers all hanging out there and then noticed the TVs showing off the battles.
"Wow," she marvelled at the sight of a Saurus knocking down a griffin. "So that's what a Bakugan really looks like." Flash nodded as Leonidas was on his shoulder, the pair promising to bring Scootaloo to the stadium after she learned the truth about Bakugan.
"Flash!" He looked around and smiled seeing Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walking over to him. With them were two girls about Scootaloo's age. "Hey man," Rainbow smirked before noticing Scootaloo. "Who's this?"
"Guys," Flash put a hand on Scootaloo's shoulder, "this is my sister Scootaloo. Leonidas and I are showing her around the Stadium."
"What a coincidence," Rarity smiled. "Applejack and I are doing the same for our sisters." She pattered the smaller girl's shoulder, "this is Sweetie Belle."
Applejack ruffled the other girl's hair, "and this here's Applebloom."
"Hi," Applebloom waved.
"It's nice to meet you," Sweetie smiled as Scootaloo did the same. She then turned to the older girls.
"Do you guys all have Bakugan that can talk as well?" They smiled at this and presented their partners, the younger girls all marvelling at the sight as the balls popped open.
"Hey," Terraspin cheered, "nice to meet you."
"Wow," Scootaloo had stars in her eyes. She wanted to learn as much about Bakugan as she could. "I wanna watch a Brawl as soon as possible." The other girls all nodded and the teens smiled, happy they were enjoying themselves. And in that moment, a teen rushed up to them.
"Flash Sentry!" He turned to see him hold up a Ventus Bakugan, "I challenge you!" Flash smirked at this with Leonidas nodding back at him, both agreeing to show Scootaloo and the girls what a real brawl was all about.
"You're on."
Back with Derpy and Pipsqueak, the pair were still at the river.
Pipsqueak had told Derpy that Rumble had only two Bakugan, a Darkus Fear Ripper and Ziperator. Derpy was surprised by this, since Ziperator was quite a rare Bakugan. But then Pip showed her his Bakugan. "Wow," she smiled at the Aquos Bakugan, "I've never seen a Scaboid before. These are really rare."
"Thanks," Pip smiled, "he's my favourite Bakugan." He then showed her a Subterra Bakugan, "but I've also got this one." Derpy took it and opened it up.
"Robotallion," she smiled, "Not bad." She then looked at the cards Pip had, going over all the Ability Cards and the Gate Cards. "You've got a really good collection here."
"Really?" Pip asked, "they can't be that good."
"Oh, but they are." She picked up one of the cards. "Take your Robotallion Enforcement, for example. It'll nullify your opponent's Ability and grant it an extra hundred Gs. That could come in really useful in a tight spot."
"I guess," Pip frowned. "But if I keep losing even with these good cards, that must mean I'm really bad."
Derpy shook her head, "everyone starts off bad at first. What matters is learning from your losses and using them to get better. Don't worry, I'll show you everything you need to know about how to play your cards right."
"Okay," Pip nodded again. Even so, he was still unsure, 'how do I know this girl is any good if she's never played before?' But as Derpy explained the ways each card can be used, Pip slowly started to get more and more confident that she actually knew what she was talking about.
"And this should be your ace in the hole," Derpy handed him a Gate Card. "It's downsides could be dangerous if played early on, but play it later and you'll find yourself in a really good spot."
"Really?" Derpy nodded as Pip took the card and then looked at his Bakugan, an uneasy feeling washing over him. "But...what if I mess up. It's all well and good telling me how to battle, but when I'm in the middle of the fight everything's happening really fast and my brain just stops. It's scary being all on your own in the middle of a brawl."
"But that's just the thing," Derpy smiled at him. "You won't be alone." Pip gave her a confused look, only for her to hold up his Subterra Bakugan. "Bakugan aren't just toys. They're living things. They battle because it's fun and it helps them get stronger. You're never battling alone. As long as you have your Bakugan, you'll always have someone there with you."
"My...Bakugan?" Pip looked at Scaboid and had no idea what she was talking about. "Derpy, can you come with me?" The girl was surprised by this question. "If you were there with me, giving me advice, I bet I could win no matter what Rumble did."
"I don't know," Derpy frowned. "The win wouldn't really be yours if I'm the one making all the decisions."
"Please," Pip begged. "Please help me." Derpy couldn't say no to that face, the girl nodding.
"Alright," she told him. "I'll help. But I won't give you all the answers. You need to figure that out on your own." Pip nodded, looking actually excited about the battle that was about to come.
Back at the stadium, Flash and Leonidas were on a winter wonderland field with multiple christmas candy canes sticking out of the snow.
"Bakugan!" Flash leapt off a candy cane threw his partner, "BRAWL!" Leonidas shot through several power-ups and hit the snow, rolling along it before opening up. "Bakugan, STAND!" In a burst of light, the dragon appeared and let out a mighty roar. "Haos Omega Leonidas!"
"Wow," Scootaloo marvelled as the five power-ups kicked in. "So that's what Leonidas really looks like."
"Bakugan...BRAWL!" His opponent threw the Ventus Bakugan towards the ground, hitting three power-ups along the way. It impacted and opened up, "Bakugan, stand!" The toy was surrounded by a tornado. "Rise, Ventus Struthion!" The tornado exploded to reveal a light green ostrich Bakugan wearing dark green overalls, black fishnet clothing beneath that went up its neck, a yellow scarf around its neck that trailed behind it and a yellow fur-tail and head of hair.
Struthion: 350Gs
Leonidas: 900Gs
The beast let out a squawk as it powered up, but remained on the ground.
Struthion: 500Gs
Leonidas: 900Gs
"I've never seen that Bakugan before," Rarity stated.
"I've heard about it," Rainbow told her. "Even though it's a Ventus Bakugan, it can't fly. But it's speed is almost unmatched. Flash might have trouble against that, even with his G Power so much higher." They watched as Leonidas dived down towards Struthion, who suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye and appeared on the other side of the battlefield. Rainbow was right, that thing was fast.
Pip and Derpy arrived at the park, finding Rumble standing in front of the fountain.
"About time you showed up," he teen smirked before noticing Derpy. "Whose this, your girlfriend?" He laughed as Derpy frowned and placed a hand on Pip's shoulder.
"I'm Pipsqueak's coach. And today, he's going to beat you and you're gonna stop picking on him."
"Ha!" Rumble smirked, "like that's gonna happen. Even if you're the best brawler in the world, there's no way you can help him beat me." He took out a Bakugan and flicked it into the air, "let's get this started." He caught as Pip looked scared.
"You can do this," Derpy assured him. Pip took a deep breath and nodded before focusing back on Rumble.
"Bakugan!" They held up their BakuColars as Derpy grabbed Pip's shoulder, "FIELD OPEN!" The watches unleashed a bright light, which surrounded them. For a brief second, they looked around themselves and saw time begin to slow down before the light caused them to go blind for a moment.
When that light faded, Derpy opened her eyes. She expected to be in the battlefield, but was shocked to find she was still in the park. "What?" She looked around, wondering if maybe the battlefield had malfunctioned. But then she noticed Pipsqueak and Rumble were gone, and the world around her was still frozen.
The birds were locked in place midair, some kids playing with a ball were frozen with the ball hovering between them and even a leaf that had fallen from a tree was suspended.
"What's happening?" She asked, feeling weird. "Pip?"
When Pipsqueak opened his eyes, he was in the battlefield once again. Rumble stood opposite him and had a smirk on his face, their BakuColars beeping to show the start of the battle.
Rumble: 100%
Pipsqueak: 100%
"I'm up first," Pip smirked. "So which Gate Card do I-" He stopped as he looked around and found that Derpy wasn't there. "Derpy?" He looked in every direction, but couldn't see her anywhere. "Where are you?"
Back outside the field, Derpy was still worried about what was going on. "This is so strange. Is this because I didn't have a BakuColar on. If that's true, why wasn't I frozen in time like everything else.
"Derpy?" She heard Pip's voice call out, making her look around but seeing no sign of him. "Where are you?"
"Pip?" She called out, "is that you?"
"Derpy?" Pip replied, "I can hear you but I can't see you."
"Same here," Derpy replied. "But it's okay. You're in the battle, right?"
"Yeah," Pip nodded, "but without you here-"
"Hey!" Rumble called out, "what's the hold up. Are you gonna play or what?" He then noticed something, "where'd that girl go. I thought she was gonna watch?"
"Derpy," Pip began to panic, "I can't do this without you."
"It's okay," Derpy assured her. "You just need to focus. Now, throw down your Gate Card."
"Which one?"
"Any will do, just leave that special one until later." Pip nodded and took out a card, throwing it towards the ground.
"Gate Card, Set!" The card exploded, making Rumble smirk.
"About time!" He cried before taking out a Bakugan, "time to Brawl!" He leapt into the air, "Bakugan," he threw it, "BRAWL!" The Bakugan shot through the air before hitting the ground and opening up. "Bakugan, STAND!" It burst into light, "Darkus Fear Ripper!" The giant clawed demon Bakugan appeared and let out a roar, making Pip quiver.
Fear Ripper: 380Gs
"He chose Fear Ripper," Pip told Derpy.
"That's okay. Don't panic. Did he throw it through any power-ups?"
"No," Pip shook his head.
"Then you can use that to your advantage. Try and get up to the platforms and throw your Bakugan through a power-up." Pip nodded and looked around, seeing a floating platform that was moving up and down. He took several steps back before running forward and leaping into the air. He grabbed the platform and pulled himself up, as it floated higher and allowed him to spot several coins.
"Here we go!" He cried as he took out a his Subterra Bakugan. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw it and the orb towards the coins and hit three of them, then landed on the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" The Bakugan opened up and exploded with light, "Subterra Robotallion, stand!"
From the light, an orange robot appeared.
Robotallion: 340Gs
Fear Ripper: 380Gs
Rumble frowned as he watched Robotallion glow, the power-ups kicking in and increasing its power.
Robotallion: 490Gs
Fear Ripper: 380Gs
"This kid's been practising." Rumble took out a pair of cards. "Double Ability, Activate!" Fear Ripper's claws glowed, "Slash Zero, plus Doom Slicing!" Fear Ripper swung its claws around and slashed at Robotallion, making the robot cry out as it staggered backwards.
Robotallion: 390Gs
Fear Ripper: 480Gs
"Oh no," Pip cried as he began to panic.
"Stay calm," Derpy told him. "Remember, you have the Gate Card. You have the home field advantage?"
Pip nodded, "I understand." He pointed towards the ground, "Gate Card...OPEN!" The field began to glow, "Subterra Reactor!" From out of the ground, giant pillars of rock suddenly appeared. As it did, Robotallion glowed with its power increasing.
Robotallion: 590Gs
Fear Ripper: 480Gs
The holes on the machine's chest then began to glow before they fired twin beams of light, which struck Fear Ripper and blasted in back. "Yes!" Pip cheered, happy he was actually putting up a fight.
Rumble wasn't happy, "how'd he get so good so fast?" He held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Fear Ripper pushed itself up and charged forward, "Spiral Tearing!" Fear Ripper suddenly morphed into a tornado, one that was likely going to feel very sharp when it touched Robotallion.
"Oh no," Pip cried.
"Remember your Abilities!" Derpy told him.
"Oh, right." He took out a card, "Ability, Activate!" Robotallion began to glow, "Robotallion Enforcement!" The machine charged forward and punched the tornado, the light flying into the tornado and causing it to vanish as Fear Ripper staggered back.
Robotallion: 690Gs
Fear Ripper: 480Gs
"Look out!" Rumble yelled, as Robotallion fired a laser from the holes all over its body. The many beams combined into one, hitting Fear Ripper and blasting it backwards before it returned to ball form. "No way!" He cried as his life gauge dropped.
Rumble: 58%
Pipsqueak: 100%
"I did it," Pip's eyes went wide. "I won." He had never defeated any of Rumble's Bakugan before, so winning this match actually made him feel amazing. "Derpy, I won!"
"That's great Pip," Derpy smiled where she was. "But don't let one win go to your head. This match is still anyone's game."
"Got it," Pip nodded as Rumble picked up his Bakugan. He then turned to give Pipsqueak a glare, as he took out another Bakugan and Gate Card.
"Don't think you'll win this. You might have beat Fear Ripper, but I'm far from out of tricks. Gate Card!" He threw it, "Set!" As the card exploded, he held up the ball. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw it and the Bakugan hit the ground before opening up. "Bakugan...STAND!" Dark light exploded from it, "Darkus Ziperator!" The dragon-like Bakugan appeared and took to the sky, the beast letting out a bird-like squawk.
Ziperator: 400Gs
Pip quivered, "he's using Ziperator."
"It's okay. This is what we expected."
"Huh?"
"Of course he would use his best Bakugan after losing. That's what happens when a brawler who expects a flawless victory hits a roadblock. He's been thrown off, which means you still have the advantage." Pip nodded and looked around, seeing more power-ups close to the ground.
"Alright!" He threw Robotallion, "Bakugan Brawl!" The ball shot through the air, hitting a pair of power-ups before landing on the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" It popped open and appeared in a burst of orange light, the robot standing strong as the power-ups kicked in.
Ziperator: 400Gs
Robotallion: 440Gs
"Let's go!" Rumble held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Dark energy formed under Ziperator's chest, forming a gear-shape. "Greth Gear!" The energy blade shot off and flew down, slamming into Robotallion and causing it to stagger backwards.
Ziperator: 400Gs
Robotallion: 340Gs
As Robotallion regained its balance, Ziperator dived down ready to punch him. But Pip remembered what Derpy told him and took out a card. "Ability, Activate!" Robotallion punched its fists together, "Surface Pressure!"
"Good," Derpy nodded, "that Ability will allow you to steal a hundred Gs from Ziperator."
"I don't think so!" Rumble held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed along with Ziperator, the light flying off and forming an orb around his body. Robotallion thrust its hands forward and smashed them into the orb, but all this did was push Robotallion backwards.
Pip looked down at his BakuColar and saw the Bakugan's G Power didn't change. "Not good."
"it's about to get worse!" Rumble yelled, "Gate Card, OPEN!" The field began to glow as Robotallion quickly found itself stuck in place, "Dark Crystal Prison!" Pip looked at Robotallion's feet and saw they were covered in crystals that were growing out of the ground, which were quickly growing up Robotallion's legs.
"What's happening?"
"Dark Crystal Prison," Derpy explained. "It locks every non-Darkus Bakugan into place a saps them of a hundred Gs for every Darkus Bakugan on the field. The energy flowed out of Robotallion, moving into the crystals and making the robot appear weaker.
Ziperator: 400Gs
Robotallion: 240Gs
"No!" Pip cried as Ziperator flew down, reaching Robotallion before it started unleashing punch after punch after punch into the robot. "Derpy, how do I stop that Gate Card."
"None of your Abilities can do that," she explained. "You need to hold out until the effects wear off. Try a defence card to help Robotallion endure it."
Pip nodded and held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Robotallion brought its arms up, as the small shields on its wrists glowed orange. "Iron Guardian!" Ziperator hit the shield, which absorbed some of the impact but it still hurt.
Ziperator: 400Gs
Robotallion: 340Gs
"Nice try," Rumble held up two cards. "But this is where you lose. Double Ability, Activate!" Ziperator flew straight up, "Dark Surge, plus Skydive Dogma!" Ziperator shot straight down, as its body burst into black fire.
Ziperator: 700Gs
Robotallion: 340Gs
Robotallion tried to pull itself free, whilst Pip looked terrified. "Pip, you've gotta use an Ability." But Pip was too panicked to do that, allowing Ziperator to smash into Robotallion. This blasted the robot out of its crystal hold and sent it flying, the machine reverting back to ball form.
"See," Rumble smirked as the ball hit the ground. "You might have gotten a little better, but you're still no match for me." Pip frowned, his life gauge dropping.
Rumble: 58%
Pipsqueak: 28%
"It's okay Pip," Derpy told the boy as he picked Robotallion up. "This battle is far from over. You've still got that special trap card, remember." Pip smiled and nodded.
"It's fine," he told himself. "I've got Derpy with me. As long as she's there to guide me, I'll be fine."
Derpy waited to hear what Rumble did next. But as she did, something about the world around her suddenly started changing.
"Huh?" She looked around and noticed one of the birds was slowly beginning to move, though its wing beats were a snail's pace. The same was happening with the other frozen things, each of them beginning to move so slowly you would still think they were frozen if you weren't paying attention. "How can time be starting when a battle's still in progress?" She began to worry, wondering if something bad was gonna happen. And she soon got her answer.
A flash of light suddenly appeared in front of her, making her gasp and step backwards away from it. But then, the light spread around her and completely surrounded the girl as she cried out.
Pip heard this and looked behind him. "Derpy?" He called out, but the girl remained silent. "What's going on?" Again, there was no response. "Where'd you go." He began to panic now, whilst Rumble frowned.
"HEY!" He called out, "It's you turn to throw a Gate Card. Hurry up!" Pip began to panic again, as his coach was gone and he had no idea what to do.
"I...I can't do this." He looked down at his two Bakugan, "I'm gonna lose. I don't wanna lose." But then he remembered what Derpy had told him. "The trap." He took the card out and threw it towards the ground, as Rumble held up his Bakugan.
"Let's go!" He leapt into the air, whilst Pip ran over to a platform. "Bakugan...BRAWL!" He threw it towards the ground and it quickly opened. "Bakugan, STAND! Darkus Ziperator!" The Darkus Bakugan appeared and took to the air, whilst Pip climbed onto the platform and leapt onto another as he spotted some power-ups.
"I can do this," he held up his Aquos Bakugan. "Let's do this Scaboid!" He threw it towards them. "Bakugan, brawl!" The Bakugan shot towards the power-ups and flew through three of them before landing on the ground. "Bakugan," it opened, "stand!" Water exploded out of the toy and swirled into a tornado, which then exploded to reveal his robotic spider turtle.
Scaboid: 360Gs
Ziperator: 400Gs
The beast roared as its power increased, whilst Pip leapt back down off the platform.
Scaboid: 510Gs
Ziperator: 400Gs
Rumble acted fast. "Ability, Activate!" Ziperator glowed, "Dark Surge!"
Scaboid: 510Gs
Ziperator: 550Gs
Ziperator then flew down and started punching the turtle, making it cry out as it tried to crawl backwards and escape without much success. "Scaboid!" Pip cried, seeing his Bakugan in trouble. But remembering what Derpy had told him, he held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Scaboid opened its mouth, "Blast Hydro!" It suddenly fired water out of its mouth, hitting Ziperator and knocking it flying backwards.
Scaboid: 510Gs
Ziperator: 450Gs
Ziperator shook the water off of itself, then shot into the air as Rumble held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" The energy formed around Ziperator, "Greth Gear!"
However, as the attack charged up Pip held up his own card. "Ability, Activate!" The center of Scaboid's back opened up before a gun barrel folded out, this barrel unleashing a burst of mist. "Vapour Guard!" The gear fired as the mist formed a dome around Scaboid, deflecting the gear.
"Nice try!" Rumble held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed along with Ziperator, who dived downwards. "Skydive Dogma!"
Scaboid: 510Gs
Ziperator: 600Gs
Before Pip could stop it, Ziperator's body burst into black flames as it shot through the mist and slammed into Scaboid!" The beast screamed out as it was knocked flying by an explosion and struck the ground, sliding backwards toward Pipsqueak.
"Ahhh!" Pip cried as he tried to run, but was struck by a wave of wind caused by Scaboid's fall. He was sent flying and struck the ground, as his Bakugan stopped inches from him. "Augh!" He moaned as he laid there, feeling his eyes beginning to tear up. "Derpy...where did you go?"
Derpy was scared out of her mind, as she made her way through the corridor of light that she suddenly found herself inside of.
She could no longer hear Pip or anyone else, making her worry she might have fallen outside of time or something. But before she could start panicking, another light filled the air and made her stagger back. This light had some kind of figure within it, one that for some reason gave her a sense of comfort. "Who are you?"
"I am Regulus," the figure told her. "And I come before you to ask for your assistance."
Pip was still laid out on the ground, Scaboid also down for what seemed to be the count. He let out a moan as he tried to push himself up.
"You done?" Rumble asked. "Tell you what, I'll make you a deal. Give up now and I won't make too much fun of you at school." Pip felt like crying, as defeat seemed inevitable once again. Everything Derpy had told him was gone from his mind.
"Why?" He asked, "why does this always happen. Why do I always lose?"
"If you think you're going to lose, then you'll have already lost before you throw down your first card. In order to win, you need the believe you can win." Derpy's words flowed through his mind, making him remember what she had said.
"Finish this!" Rumble yelled as he held up a card. "Ability, Activate!" Ziperator's body sparked with purple lightning, "Plasma Shroud!"
Scaboid: 510Gs
Ziperator: 700Gs
Ziperator flew down and prepared to punch Scaboid out of commission. Pip couldn't bare to watch and closed his eyes, only to then hear Scaboid let out a cry. He figured this was the end, but then he heard Ziperator cry out as well. "Huh?" He looked up and was surprised to see Scaboid had grabbed Ziperator's punch in its claws and was trying to force it back. "Scaboid." It was then he realised what was happening, "you...you haven't given up yet."
"No way," Rumble cried. "How is that thing still up? Come on Ziperator. Knock it into next week. But the Darkus Bakugan, despite being stronger, couldn't seem to overpower the spider turtle.
"Whoa," Pip whispered. "He's still trying. He doesn't wanna give up." He slowly pushed himself back to his feet, "even if he still loses he's not gonna give up and just take it." It was then that he remembered more of what Derpy had told him.
"You're never battling alone. As long as you have your Bakugan, you'll always have someone there with you." Now those words were beginning to make sense. Bakugan weren't tools for battle, but their partners who fought side by side with them.
"Scaboid," Pip whispered as his Bakugan began to get overpowered. But still, it refused to give up. "You...you..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "YOU CAN DO IT!"
"I know I can!" The voice was one he had never heard before, making him open his eyes and look up at Scaboid as its eyes seemed to focus on him. "But I need your help to do it."
"You...you can talk?" Pip asked, but quickly shook that question off when he remembered what Scaboid said. "My help. But how can-" It was then he remembered what it was he could do, "the Gate Card!" He pointed to the ground, "Gate Card...OPEN!" The field glowed a mixture of blue and and orange. "Diagonal Relation Ambush!"
"What?" Rumble asked, as Pip held up his Robotallion.
"This Gate Card lets me sacrifice a Bakugan, meaning I'm not allowed to play it for the rest of the brawl. The upside, I get add that Bakugan's power to one it has a Diagonal Relation with!" Robotallion glowed and that light shot off it towards Scaboid. The Aquos Bakugan roared as its power skyrocketed.
Scaboid: 850Gs
Ziperator: 700Gs
"That's more like it!" Scaboid cried as he pushed Ziperator back. "Well done Pip." He turned to the still confused kid, "your confidence gives me strength. Remember that and together, we can win no matter who we're up against." Pip nodded as Rumble recovered from the shock of what had happened.
"Don't think you've won yet!" He held up a card, "Ability, Activate!!" The card glowed as Ziperator horns sparked, "Neon Lightning!"
Scaboid: 850Gs
Ziperator: 800Gs
The lightning shot off Ziperator's horns and flew towards Scaboid, but the Aquos Bakugan endured the attack. "Pip, hurry!"
"Right!" Pipsqueak's fears all seemed to vanish, now that he knew he wasn't alone. "Try this." He held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed as Scaboid held up one of its claws and pointed them at Ziperator, with blue lightning sparking between them. "Freeze Burner!" The lightning exploded off of his claws and struck Ziperator, making it cry out as its power was reduced.
Scaboid: 850Gs
Ziperator: 700Gs
"Come on!" Rumble yelled before holding up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Ziperator began to spin around, transforming into a drill of purple energy. "Darkus Impact!"
Scaboid: 850Gs
Ziperator: 900Gs
Pip pulled out two cards, but didn't know which one to use. Then, he realised he didn't have to choose. "Double Ability, Activate!" Scaboid opened its mouth and unleashed a freezing cold mist, which began to surround the energy drill. This caused Ziperator to slowly stop spinning, as the energy began to fade from around him. Moments later, the Bakugan's body began to freeze up. "Subzero Nullifier, plus Hydro Barrage!" Several compartment on the back of the Bakugan then opened, unleashing blasts of water at Ziperator.
Scaboid: 1050Gs
Ziperator: 700Gs
Ziperator screamed with every impact of water, as Scaboid opened its mouth and charged up an extra strong water blast. As Rumble pulled out an Ability card, Scaboid fired and it shot towards Ziperator at incredible speed before smashing into it. The Darkus Bakugan screamed as it was knocked flying back towards Rumble, reverting back to ball form before it could crash into him whilst Rumble cried out.
Rumble: 0%
Pipsqueak: 28% (Winner)
The light of the battlefield faded and this time, Pipsqueak was the one standing over a downed Rumble. He looked absolutely shocked. "I...I won."
"Pipsqueak!" He turned to see Derpy running towards him, a smile on her face.
"Derpy," she called out, "where'd you go?"
"I'm sorry," she told him. "Something happened that broke our connection." She then looked over Rumble, "but it looks like you didn't need me in the end." Pipsqueak nodded.
"I won!" He held up his Scaboid, "and you'll never guess what." The ball opened up to show the Bakugan moving.
"Hello there." Derpy's eyes went wide and she smiled, crouching down to get a better looked.
"Hello Scaboid. It's nice to meet you." She looked up at Pipsqueak, "you understand how this happened, don't you?" Pip nodded as she explained, "your belief in your Bakugan allowed it to finally awaken. Now its true strength is revealed."
"She's right," Scaboid nodded. "We Bakugan feed off our partner's emotions. As long as your will is strong, I become strong." Pip smiled at this, happy he and his Bakugan had grown closer.
"I can't believe it." They turned to Rumble, who was still kneeling on the ground. "I lost. I can't believe I lost...to Pipsqueak."
"You lost because you underestimated Pip," Derpy told him. "Maybe that'll teach you not to pick on other because you think they're week. Push them to much and they'll push back."
Rumble got up and glared at her. "You did this!" He cried, "you told him how to win!"
"I might have given him a few tips," Derpy nodded. "But Pip's the one that won this match all on his own." Rumble grumbled at this and turned to leave. But he only got five steps before Pip called out to him.
"Rumble!" He turned to him, "let's battle again tomorrow." Rumble raised an eyebrow at this, seeing Pip smiling. He then smirked back.
"You're on. I'll take you down and reclaim my honour!" He ran off, whilst Pip laughed as Scaboid jumped onto his shoulder. Derpy smiled, happy Pip had fallen in love with brawling again. But then she frowned as she remembered what had happened to her.
"Regulus," she whispered as she look up at the sky.
"Ability, Activate!" Struthion's brawler held up a card, "Kunai Wing!" Struthion opened its wings and with a single beat, sent several dozen feathers flying at Leonidas.
The dragon grunted as four of them hit him, each taking fifty Gs off of him.
Struthion: 800Gs
Leonidas: 1000Gs
"Raaah!" Leo roared as he shot up out of range of the feathers. "That's not enough to stop me. Flash!"
"Right!" Flash held up a card, "time to end this. Fusion Ability, Activate!" Leonidas' mouth filled with light and sparks, causing Struthion's brawler to panic. "Roaring Omega!" He then show down and slammed his feet into the ground, then let out a might roar that caused the light and energy to shot out in a wave that flew towards Struthion
The attack struck the bird and blasted it backwards, making it squawk in pain as their G Power changed.
Struthion: 500Gs
Leonidas: 1200Gs
The Bakugan reverted back to ball form as its owner's life gauge dropped, the ball flying over to Flash who caught it with a smirk.
"And with that," the announcer yelled. "Flash Sentry takes the win!" The crowd cheered as Flash's opponent ran off, the teen looking down at the Ventus Bakugan he had just won before leaving the field himself.
Heading out of the corridor, Flash spotted his sister and friends at the end of it and Scootaloo had a massive smile on her face. "Flash!" She cheered, "you were awesome!" She ran over to him, "you too Leonidas!"
"Was there any doubt?" Leonidas laughed, as Scootaloo's eyes got super wide.
"I wanna be a brawler too!" She announced.
"Me too!" Sweetie cheered.
"And me!" Applebloom nodded. The others teens all smiled, happy they were interested in the sport.
"That's good," Rarity told them. "But remember, being a brawler means you'll be responsible for all the Bakugan you get. They're not toys you can just throw in a drawer when your bored with them.
"Yes," Cleopal agreed, "and we're not just pets either. Becoming a Bakugan Brawler means you and your Bakugan will be partners, understand." The girls all nodded, agreeing to that wholeheartedly.
"Well then," Applejack tipped her hat. "Let's go get you ya'h first Bakugan." The girls nodded again, but then Scootaloo stopped.
"I...I can't afford one." The others turned to her, as she realised how expensive Bakugan were. Flash had spent months trying to save up enough money to get one and she didn't have any serious savings.
Flash felt sorry for his sister, knowing how much having a Bakugan can mean to somebody. He then looked down at the Bakugan he had just won and smirked at an idea, whistling to get his sister's attention. Scootaloo looked around and was surprised when a Bakugan went flying at her, the girl barely catching it. When she saw what it was, she gasped and realised what Flash was doing. "Really?"
"Yeah," Flash nodded, "I'm a Haos Brawler. If I kept it, I would have just traded it for something. Besides," he looked at Leo, "I got my start with a Bakugan someone gave to me, even if I have no idea who that someone was. Might as well pass it on." Scootaloo looked ready to start crying and ran towards her brother, hugging him tightly. Flash smiled and hugged her back, whilst the others all smiled.
At the same time, across town, Pinkie and Gumigator were working at a cafe called Sugarcube Corner.
Pinkie finished making a milkshake and handed it to customer, who smiled at the delicious treat whilst Pinkie happily watched him take the first suck and hummed in enjoyment. "Come again," she smiled before turning to Gummy. The alligator Bakugan was standing on the on button of an electric whisk.
The machine was turning up the batter and when it was done, he jumped off the button and the device stopped spinning.
"Thanks Gummy," Pinkie smiled as the Bakugan remained silent but she could tell he was happy to help out. Pinkie continued mixing the stuff until Mr Cake, one of the people running the cafe, stepped out from the back room.
"Pinkie," he stated as he carried several boxes for a delivery, "can you go and throw the trash out? The bin's starting to overflow."
"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie saluted as Mr Cake left and Pinkie stepped into the back room, finding the overflowing trash can and taking the bag out of it before stepping out into the back alley that housed the dumpster.
She swung the bag around several times to get enough momentum and then threw it, the bag flying into the air and landing right in the dumpster. Pinkie cheered at this, but as she was about to celebrate she felt something. A horrible feeling that ran up the base of her spin.
She looked around, but saw nothing. Then, she heard it. Footsteps coming from behind her, Pinkie spinning around and gasping when she saw who stepped out of the shadows.
"Hello, Pinkie." Phantom smirked at her as he stood a good distance away, Pinkie staring at him in shock but then frowning. "It's been a while. How about we catch up with a friendly game." He held up his Bakugan, whilst Pinkie shivered.
"You...you don't scare me." She told him. "I might have lost to you before, but that won't happen again." Gumigator nodded as he leapt into Pinkie's hand, the girl holding up her BakuColar as Phantom did the same with his gauntlet.
"Bakugan, field...OPEN!" In a flash of light, the two were in the Doom Dimension battlefield with Pinkie on the ground as Phantom stood upon a tall rock. The shades wearing individual held up a Gate Card and threw it, the card exploding as Pinkie began to run.
She ran up a Wormquake statue and leapt off it, "Bakugan...BRAWL!" She threw Gumigator and hit four power-ups before landing on the ground. "Bakugan...STAND!" He opened up and burst into an explosion of water, "Aquos Gumigator!" The blue reptile Bakugan broke out of the water, glaring at Phantom as the power-ups kicked in.
Gumigator: 590Gs
Phantom smirked as Ragnaroid leapt onto his shoulder. "Finally," he told the human, "let's show these girls why they were fools to turn away from us."
"Let's," Phantom agreed before grabbing the Bakugan and leaping into the air, "Bakugan!" He threw the Darkus beast, "BRAWL!" Ragnaroid also hit four power-ups before landing on the ground, rolling for several seconds before popping open. "Bakugan...STAND! Darkus Ragnaroid!"
The Bakugan exploded with dark light that took shape and faded to reveal the scorpion snake hybrid, who chuckled as he looked down at Gumigator whilst the power-ups kicked in.
Ragnaroid: 700Gs
Gumigator: 590Gs
"You were a fool to think you could defeat me," Ragnaroid laughed. "Now you will face my wrath and wish you had never met me."
"Here we go!" Pinkie cried as she held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" The card glowed as Gumigator's mouth filled with cold air, "Glacial Fang!"
Ragnaroid: 700Gs
Gumigator: 790Gs
Gumigator charged as Ragnaroid swung his tail around, Gummy grabbing the tail and biting into it. This caused his tail to begin to freeze up, but neither Ragnaroid nor Phantom appeared worried.
"Pathetic!" He held up a card, "Ability, Activate!" Ragnaroid flexed his tail and the ice shattered, "Viper Coil!" He then swirled around Gumigator, squeezing him tightly.
Ragnaroid: 800Gs
Gumigator: 690Gs
"Gummy!" Pinkie cried before Ragnaroid raised Gummy up and then slammed him into the ground, Gummy flinching in pain before the serpentine scorpion threw him away. Gummy went flying and crashed through a Mantris statue, rolling along the ground as he did so. Pinkie ran over to him and as she did, Phantom pointed to the ground.
"Gate Card, OPEN!" The field glowed, "Silent Land! Now you can't activate any new Abilities." Pinkie gasped at this, as Gumigator pushed itself up. At the same time, Phantom held up three cards. "Triple Ability, Activate!" Ragnaroid's claws opened, revealing the hidden eyes as they and the one on his head glowed a dark light. "Dark Light, plus Dark Gaze, plus Fusion Ability, Eye of Darkness!"
Pinkie gasped as the dark light exploded out of Ragnaroid's eyes and shot towards them in a wave. The energy wave struck all, knocking Pinkie and Gumigator backwards. "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" Pinkie screamed as the G Power changed.
Ragnaroid: 1000Gs
Gumigator: 290Gs
Pinkie forced her eyes open and stared through the dark light, as Gumigator glanced back at her. Without speaking, she knew what he was telling her. "I'm sorry." With that, he reverted back to ball form as the battlefield vanished.
Back in the alleyway, the light faded as Phantom stood over a badly injured Pinkie that was laid out on the ground. He chuckled as he held the Aquos Bakugan he had just won.
"One down," he told himself before turning to leave. "Five to go."